Ambrose RIDEOUT (1775?- )

Ambrose RIDEOUT,1 son of Thomas RIDEOUT (1745?-1810) and Martha PRENCE (1749?-1830), was born in 1775 (approx.) in Ashmore, Dorset.2,3 His relationship to John is Maternal Great (x4) Grandfather. Before December 1793 Ambrose was a labourer .4 On 18 December 1793 in Ashmore he was charged with poaching.5 On 19 December 1793 he was described as 5’8” tall .5 He was convicted on 19 December 1793 in Ashmore.5 He was sentenced to three months imprisonment. He was committed by William Chafin, Clerk and entered prison the next day. He was kept by the County and was orderly in his behaviour.5 His sentence expired on 15 February 1794. He was discharged by the order of William Chafin, Clerk on condition of entering to serve with the Royal Navy. He entered with Lieutenant Lothbridge but the ship is not known. However it was likely to have been at anchor at Weymouth Roads as the majority of prisoners sent to the Navy were taken there.6 On 6 April 1795 Ambrose resided in Ashmore. This was at the time of his marriage.7,8 He married Charlotte BENNETT on 6 April 1795 in Tollard Royal, Wiltshire.2,7,8,9,10 On 29 August 1801 he was a gamekeeper . He was appointed under Quarter Sessions.2,11,12

Ambrose married Mary MASLIN on 25 July 1837 in Bethnal Green, Middlesex (pre-1888). This marriage was probably bigamous as Ambrose's first wife was still living in 1838 when she migrated to Australia. It is not known whether Mary knew of the situation.13

{S0211} Compiled by Max LAIDLEY (1993), Book : "History of our BENNETT Family of Tollard Royal, Wiltshire with descendants at Camden and Muswellbrook". Page 69. Cit. Date: before 1 July 2009. Assessment: Secondary evidence.Text From Source: "Ambrose Rideout was a gamekeeper according to the shipping record of the arrival of his son James or he was a seaman according to the death certificate for James. The occupation "seaman" seems quite out of character and was either a guess or an euphemism for someting else. The informant of James' death was his son-in-law, William Jenkins, who supplied quite accurate information in some cases but did not know the name of James' mother."